Effect of Skull Shape and Size on Musical Preference

Your skull, as much as what’s in it, may affect your musical taste, suggests this study:

“Music of the Body: An investigation of skull resonance and its influence on musical preference,” Jitwipar Suwangbutra, Rachelle Tobias and Michael S. Gordon [a portion of whose skull is pictured here, encased in fleshy material], paper presented at the 165th Acoustical Society of America Meeting, June 4, 2013, in Montreal, Canada. The authors, at William Paterson University, Wayne, New Jersey, explain:

“since the size, density, and even shape of a person’s skull is somewhat unique, that resonance will vary across individuals. Our current research was designed to explore whether this uniqueness in skull resonance might have a direct influence on the kinds of music a person prefers…. The influence of skull resonance on music preference was studied across a series of experiments. Listeners were presented with a set of original melodies and were asked to judge how much they enjoyed each selection…. this research suggests that the skull [shape and size] might influence the music that a person dislikes rather than the music a person likes.”

Further detail from the study:

[image error]

“Results from Experiment 2, the ratio of Musical Key to Resonant Skull Frequency (Hz). Results are segregated by Lowest, Middle, and Highest preference”

(Thanks to investigator Scott Langill for bringing this to our attention.)